Common name: Japanese Climbing Fern
Lygodium japonicum (Thunb.) Sw. APNI* Description: Rhizome short-creeping. Juvenile fronds unknown.
Rachis sparsely pubescent, subterete, flattened on 1 side with ridged edges; primary rachis branches c. 2 mm long; secondary pinnae broadly lanceolate-triangular, 10–17 cm long, 7–17 cm wide, often broader than long, 3-pinnate; pinnule stalks reducing in length towards pinna apex; basal tertiary pinnules 3–8 cm long, 2.5–8 cm wide; ultimate pinnules ovate, lanceolate to triangular; sterile ones fused, palmately-lobed; terminal lobe much longer, membranous, sparsely pubescent; base ± hastate; margins entire or crenulate; veins free; sporogenous pinnules smaller and more finely dissected than sterile ones. Sporogenous lobes 1–5 mm long.
Distribution and occurrence: Known [as native in Australia] only from Darwin, Northern Territory; probably a garden escape. Reported from Osbourne Island, northern WA but these specimens are a form of L. flexuosum. Introduced in Queensland and NSW.
NSW subdivisions: *NC, *CC
Other Australian states: *N.T. *Qld
Text by E.A. Brown
Taxon concept: Flora of Australia 48; family name updated May 2012, Smith et al.(2006). A classification for extant ferns. Taxon 55(3) : 705-731.
APNI* Provides a link to the Australian Plant Name Index (hosted by the Australian National Botanic Gardens) for comprehensive bibliographic data
***The AVH map option provides a detailed interactive Australia wide distribution map drawn from collections held by all major Australian herbaria participating in the Australian Virtual Herbarium project.
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